The Sweetest Thing
by Lady Duck
Summary: Carlisle Cullen had always struggled with the internal battle between his thirst and his self-control. The day he thinks he has finally overcome the monster within, is the day where his existence takes an interesting turn...
1. Prologue

As busy as it always was at Forks Memorial Hospital, Carlisle Cullen took pride in his work, and thoroughly enjoyed it

As busy as it always was at Forks Memorial Hospital, Carlisle Cullen took pride in his work, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Anytime a coworker would complain about having to take a night shift, he would courteously jump in and send him home. He was caring and truly helpful to all his patients; in fact, he was the only doctor who was ever recommended to people that lived in the greater world beyond Forks, Washington.

His identity had never been revealed to anyone, not that the need to say anything had ever presented itself. Carlisle would never put someone in danger, for surely the Volturi would pay a visit to Forks if he'd told someone. No, Carlisle loved both his family and his life too much to even give it a second thought.

Once he had learned to control his blood thirst, he'd been determined to see that nothing, and no one, ever tempted him to reveal himself for the monster he'd worked hundreds of years to suppress. That was one of the attributes to living in a small town; hardly anyone came in, and hardly anyone ever left. It gave him the necessary time to adjust to everyone, and their specific scents, so that any time he came across a slightly difficult situation, he could handle it. Carlisle had always believed that he was too compassionate to ever bring harm to one person. His wife Esme only aided to this by counseling him every day about what trials he'd had to face; when one is working amidst so many bodies of delicious blood, it is hard to deny the teasing appeal. Carlisle would return home from work early in the mornings, when all but Esme would be "asleep", and talk with his wife. She would console him, and tell him that it was of his own will that he was resisting the siren's call, and that he was strong.

"After all, if Edward had been able to do it for Bella, you can too," she'd remind him.

He'd always disagree, saying, "But I have had…_centuries _to perfect my self-control, and Edward accomplished it being about half my age!"

Esme would always look at him with doe-like, golden eyes, smile softly, and say, "Edward wasn't you, Carlisle."

Carlisle would return to work later in the afternoon, completely at ease, and constantly thinking that he could do it. He could control himself, and accomplish his goals of becoming immune to human blood. Every day he would gracefully walk to his office, pass by his receptionist, and notice how much fainter her scent was, how much dimmer the sound of her pulsing blood was. She would always raise a delicately slender eyebrow at his blissful mood and ask, "How can one man always look so pleased with himself?" Of course, he would "accidentally" walk too fast and disappear into his office before he'd be trapped, and have to answer her.

One day, on September 12, he recalled that the next day was Bella's birthday. Not that it particularly mattered to her anymore than had she been human instead of dead and cold, like him. Still, he would purchase her something…a necklace, maybe, or a book. Yes, he liked the idea of a book, and he was sure Bella would as well. As vast and complete as the Cullen family library was, Bella somehow had managed to divulge each book's secrets, and had lately been complaining how there was nothing to read.

He smiled to himself and told Jennifer that he would be leaving early, as it was his daughter-in-law's birthday tomorrow, and he had to get her gift. She herself was buried in a book, and waved her hand to shoo him away. He chuckled and swiftly walked to the car and drove to Seattle at human speed. Carlisle pondered how much he enjoyed driving, for some reason, without the death-defying rapidity of a vampire. Unlike his fellow vampires, he had conformed to the human way of life, and acting just like everyone else made it easier to blend in without suspicion. Of course, the only person ever to see through the Cullens' façade was Bella, and that had actually panned out quite nicely, all things considered.

The little bookshop sitting on the corner near Rob's Deli was still accepting customers when Carlisle drove up. As he browsed the titles, he would shake his head if a possible gift was too childish, or just not _for _Bella. Finally he found a book tucked away into a corner that was covered in dust with the binding almost coming completely off. The title was smudged beyond legibility. It was perfect for Bella.

Once Carlisle paid for it he drove down to the flower shop and bought a bouquet of roses for Esme, as was customary every second Thursday of the month. The shopkeeper, upon his arrival, had darted behind the counter when she'd noticed him. When she reappeared, her eyes seemed darker and her cheeks pinker. Her lips were plump and blood red. Carlisle chuckled at the woman's efforts to attract him; but she had no way of knowing he had a wife.

"Why hello, sir," she greeted in a sultry voice, "what can I do for you tonight?"

"I would like to buy a bouquet of roses for my wife," he said simply.

Her lips pulled down into a frown as her eyes lost all dancing sparkle. "Oh, well, I'll go cut you some," she grumbled.

Carlisle chuckled. "Thank you."

As the woman was in the back of the store, he stared out at the cars passing by in the twilight. Carlisle took notice that most of them were a good deal nicer than some vehicles in Forks. He'd been just thinking about how Bella's old truck would have been a capital example when he heard the screech of tires followed by a sickening _thump_.


	2. La Tua Cantante

**Hi all, and thanks for reading this! I forgot to put one up in the prologue, so here it is: I don't own anything you recognize from the Twilight series, only my characters! Thanks lots, and please review! No flames please!**

* * *

"Carlisle, there's nothing to be ashamed of," Esme pleaded.

"You don't understand, Esme. I almost took her away! I was going to kill her!" Carlisle shouted at his wife, as if she were almost devoid of her hearing and yelling would get the message across.

Esme was undeterred by her husband's angry tone. "Every vampire has to overcome a situation like this. Edward did."

"Damn it Esme! Stop talking about Edward as if he is someone I can aspire to be! I can't control myself anymore, and it's all because of _her_!"

"It's not her fault, and you shouldn't speak of your son that way."

"Why was she there? Of all the insignificant, trivial occasions in my life, she just appears out of nowhere, splattered in her own blood and almost dead. You don't understand, Esme," he repeated softly, "I wasn't Carlisle Cullen that moment when I took in that first breath of her scent. I had turned into what I NEVER, EVER WANTED TO BECOME!"

Carlisle dropped his head into his hands and wept tearlessly. Esme stood rooted next to him, shocked and sympathetic. He had never screamed at her before; it only made Esme think about how he could be sound in his conclusions, that he _had_ truly lost control. Carlisle had always been the man of composure, never becoming panicked or frantic in any given situation. Esme wasn't prepared to handle a breakdown of this magnitude, especially when it concerned Carlisle; he'd never given her reason to be aware that he was capable of being this angry and frustrated.

It was a few minutes before she thought to speak and comfort the defeated man sitting next to her, shoulders heaving with dry tears.

"Carlisle," she whispered. She lightly touched his cheek with one hand and gently lifted his face up to her level with the other. Had Carlisle been a human his eyes would have been as puffy as if he'd had an allergic reaction to something.

"I can't exactly tell you that I know how you feel, but what I can say is that…" she paused, unsure how to continue.

Carlisle's onyx eyes flickered with understanding. "You probably are not the person I should be discussing this with."

"I'm sorry."

Esme lightly stood up and began to ascend the stairs, thinking Carlisle would like time alone to think and calm down. She also believed, deep down, that she was only making it worse for him, because she truly _didn't_ know how to handle this. Esme had never come across _la tua cantante _and she had always wished upon her lucky stars that she never would. Esme was convinced that had she herself been given a choice in that position of whether to walk away, or give in to the tasty lure of her singer's blood, she would not have refused what was right in front of her.

"Esme."

She turned around to find Carlisle not a foot away from her. Before she could back away, he pulled her lips to his in a deep and passionate kiss that only soul mates could share. Esme had soon stopped trying to resist, but Carlisle knew that he would have to before he could let temptation of another kind completely take over. The softness and warmth of her lips was almost enough to make him forget why he had approached her.

"Esme," Carlisle moaned as he unwillingly pulled away.

She instead buried her head into the crook of his neck and trapped him in a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry, Carlisle. I'm so sorry," she repeated over and over.

"Stop. I should be apologizing. It was wrong for me to shout at you when all you were trying to do was help," he said.

"I know I only made it worse."

"No, you gave me a very smart suggestion. I'll speak with Edward in a while; you were very right to tell me that I should talk to him about this."

She sighed wearily. "I didn't want you to think that I was being insensitive. I truly wish I could help you in some way…"

"Good, because it appears I might need a counselor over the next few days," Carlisle chuckled as he cradled her face in his hands. Then he thought of the accident, and how the venom had simultaneously coated his teeth in that one breath. How the fire had erupted in his throat, and how powerless he felt when he couldn't soothe it. Thinking of her made him shudder and tug Esme into an even tighter embrace, one that was filled with fear.

"Carlisle, what is it? What's wrong?" Esme asked worriedly.

"I'm just…so…so _scared_, Esme. I'm so scared."

* * *

The next day had come after a fitful night of unrest. The accident kept replaying in his mind over and over again, piquing on the point of how fiery his throat had become when he smelled her. It had been a simple smell of lilac, with no mixing of any other scent. To any other person, he assumed that the flowery perfume was undetectable; to him, it was magnified a thousand times more.

Carlisle cursed his constant need to help others in his head as the night had worn on. If his doctoral instincts hadn't kicked in, then he wouldn't have gone outside and met the detonator to his destruction. Why couldn't he just play the part of ignorant civilian for those fifteen minutes? Those had been the longest fifteen minutes of his entire life; he compared it to how long eternity seemed, and multiplied the possibility by a hundred.

His mind had processed what had occurred before his body did: brown Ford sedan, drunk driver, unfortunate victim. The result of the combination of the three elements was a broken, battered young woman lying in her own blood. The fire hit him the moment he stepped outside; in that instant, the hunter was in control of mind, body, and spirit, with almost no sign of lenience or mercy to its host. Holding his breath cooled the fire for a few moments, but it wasn't enough. As much as he wanted to run away and forget the dying girl and her existence, Carlisle fought with all the might and power within him and pushed his hesitant self towards her. She made no movement as he approached.

"Someone call 911!"

"Oh my God, get help!"

"Call the cops!"

Another woman kneeling down next to the wounded seemed sensible enough not to make a scene and calmly asked, "Is there a doctor here? Is anyone a doctor?"

"I am," Carlisle answered, stepping forward.

She stepped aside to let him pass. Carlisle felt along her arms, legs, and torso, and could feel about eight fractures, without the X-Ray. He carefully opened her eyelids and locked onto the frightened gaze that had frozen in her unconsciousness. Bright blue eyes, as blue as a cloudless sky, stared behind Carlisle. Her brown hair was matted with blood from the gash cut across her forehead from hitting the pavement. Carlisle's heart ached for the woman who was so gravely injured, who would surely lose much should she live, and lose all if she died. The thought of an alternative to her death flashed across Carlisle's mind.

"The ambulance will be here in a few minutes!" a man called.

Carlisle hadn't noticed he was stroking her cheek until her eyes fluttered open, widening at him.

"Who…who are…you?" she asked hoarsely.

"I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen. I'm going to help you," he answered. He flinched when she grimaced from trying to smile at him.

"If you can, tell me your name, so I can notify your family of this," Carlisle said.

"Ophelia," she whispered.

"Ophelia what?"

The girl's head went limp as she sank into a coma, Carlisle's inquiry hanging in the air.

Ophelia; an unusual name for a girl. Carlisle knew it was a reference to _Hamlet_, but was still curious at what could have possessed her parents to name her Ophelia of all names. It rolled off the tongue in a pleasant way, feeling the same as when one tastes something sweet and delicious. But still, Carlisle was puzzled; in the centuries he had lived, he'd never come across anyone named Ophelia.

The siren wailed in the distance, which in turn accompanied sighs of relief. Within five minutes Ophelia had been strapped in and wheeled to the hospital, while the spectators dispersed themselves, not knowing what purpose they had in standing in the middle of the street. Carlisle walked among them and went to his car directly, forgetting the roses for Esme. He sat in the toasty cab for some time, trying to figure out what he should do: go to the hospital and care for the girl, as he'd told her he would, or run home and find excuses to avoid her from now on? As much as Carlisle wanted to stay with her all through the next few painful days, he simply couldn't trust himself to be around her without some sort of devastating reaction.

* * *

"Dr. Cullen, patient in 302," the on-duty nurse called to him from behind her desk.

Carlisle nodded and rummaged to find the files for the patient, not bothering to look at the name in the corner of the manila folder. His fellow doctors greeted him as he passed through the hallways, and some nurses, who after almost three years still hadn't taken the hint that he was _married_, winked at him and made suggestive motions towards him. Carlisle had always been quick to evade any dark-looking corners or sections of the hospital. He was a vampire, and he was scared of silly women that were too pathetic to move on and find new men in their lives, or go back to their husbands in the first place.

Room 302 was in the Intensive Care unit of Forks Memorial Hospital; only those with the most life-threatening of injuries were admitted. Carlisle had never personally visited room 302, and took a deep, unnecessary breath before opening the door. His eyes widened as he looked upon Ophelia sleeping peacefully on the bed.

Carlisle's breath quickened, his mind reeling over what kind of injuries this girl must have possessed in order to be brought in to the I.C. He double-checked the printed name of the folder in his hands, and then cursed himself for not looking at it sooner. Ophelia Westcott. Carlisle knew the Westcotts; a very eccentric family who named all their children after Shakespeare characters. They had a son named Macbeth, and two other daughters named Bianca and Beatrice. Ophelia's name alone should have given him some sort of inclination to think of the Westcotts.

"Dr. Cullen?"

Carlisle's head shot up, his eyes meeting with Ophelia's pale blue ones. A small smile was on her lips.

"I knew I recognized you," she said.

Carlisle nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"Other than like I was just run over by a car?" she asked, chuckling softly. "Pretty good, all things considered. I know I'm lucky to be alive."

"You are, Miss Westcott. Not many people can escape as many fractures and a large loss of blood with their lives. You must have an angel watching over you," he said as he checked her IV levels and the heart monitor chart at the end of her bed.

She answered with a deep sigh sounding of content and relief. Carlisle's heart swelled to hear her voice undisturbed by roughness or pain. Her voice was a deep alto, with inflections of high spirit and personality. She must have inherited the trait from her father, since her mother and sisters all had considerably sprite soprano voices.

"Your heart rate ascended a bit a few hours ago," Carlisle observed.

"I know, I was just confused," Ophelia said.

Carlisle turned to her, confused himself. "About what?"

"Well, how would you feel if you were in the middle of the street one minute, closed your eyes, and then when you opened them, were in an all white room that slightly resembles the psycho ward?"

He nodded, agreeing that the I.C. gave one the slight feeling of insanity. "It must have all been very disorienting," he said.

"Yep."

No one said anything more for a few minutes as Carlisle went through the routine of checking over all the monitors and her blood levels. As he performed the evaluations, Ophelia watched him carefully, unsure of what to think of him. He was undoubtedly handsome, and kind, and compassionate. He gave her the feeling of ultimate security, like he would do anything to keep hurt and pain away from her. But, she hardly knew what Dr. Cullen was like as a _person_, not just a doctor. She only had what her parents thought of him to go off of, but she wanted to see for herself. Ophelia had to admit to herself that her parents, so far, were not wrong in their censures of Dr. Cullen.

Carlisle finished and looked up at her, catching her staring at him intensely. Ophelia blushed and looked down at her bandaged hands. "Sorry Dr. Cullen," she said sheepishly.

"You looked as if you were trying very hard to figure something out," Carlisle said.

"I was just trying to see if my parents were right in their praises of you," she admitted. "Can't say they're wrong so far."

"I'm glad I didn't disappoint. So far," he added.

Ophelia smiled, and suddenly started to feel very sleepy. As her eyes began to drift to a close, her mind was in a whirl, panicking at the inability to move her arms, and soon her fingers. "What did you give me Dr. Cullen?" she slurred.

"Something to ease the pain. I'll be back in a few hours," Carlisle said, a bottle of sleep-inducing drugs in his hand.

Ophelia's last sign of movement was a nod of her head. Carlisle had wanted to keep her awake longer and talk to her, get to know more of her, help her. But, his doctoral instincts always came first, and they had told him that she was of more importance than what he personally desired.

As he walked back to his office, he suddenly thought that her lilac scent had lessened considerably. Not enough for him to completely ignore her and the fire in his throat, but enough for him to hold more control over himself. Carlisle had known, the first moment that he'd smelt her, that she was his _la tua cantante_. He'd hoped desperately that he was wrong. Now, he knew that he couldn't have been any more right.


	3. Alternative

**I don't own anything recognizable here, only my own characters! By the way, thanks for the reviews! The more I get, the more inclined I am to writing more for you people, but no flames please! Thanks!**

* * *

Ophelia woke with a start, the bright light of the room blinding her for a few moments. Like before, her heart pounded in her chest, so loud in her ears it was as if a rock band was blasting a few feet away. She looked wildly around the room, and then at the needles sticking from her arm. Confusion gave way to comprehension as she took deep breaths and laid back into the bulky hospital pillows.

The past few hours had been rough, to say the least. Ophelia hadn't seen the car swerving uncontrollably towards her, and the screams and warnings had come too late. Action was impossible when the sedan crashed into the lively obstacle walking unaware through the street.

Ophelia didn't feel it at first; it had happened too suddenly for her body to register the impact of a car speeding at 80 miles an hour hitting someone. It was almost as if she was pushed down by a small touch, something barely felt but with strong force. Ophelia didn't feel a thing until her head smacked into the unwelcoming pavement; then, it was as if a knife had slowly carved a hole into her head, wanting her to feel every second of stinging and thrashing pain. That alone triggered the feeling in her abdomen, her legs, her arms. Everywhere, there was uncensored throbbing, pulsing in every muscle. Ophelia tried to scream, thinking that pain was trapped in her body, and that opening a pathway to the outside world would give it a release. No, pain was comfortable with its surroundings, and had no intention of leaving for a while.

Time dragged on, every second amounting to a full minute to Ophelia. She was too disoriented, too blinded by the hurt to realize that spectators were gathering with their cell phones and booming voices. It had been too much. Her brain seemed to be the only body part that didn't seem like it was hell-bent on her destruction, and it mercifully switched off consciousness.

The rest Ophelia remembered perfectly. Dr. Carlisle Cullen came to help her, promised he would help her, and she dropped off again. Dr. Cullen walked into the psycho room and checked her charts, then made her go to sleep. As Ophelia calmly reorganized the events in her head, she could feel the growing apprehension, and growing hope, that Dr. Carlisle Cullen would make a reappearance, and soon.

Instantly the door knob began to turn, and Ophelia's muscles began to tense up. She quickly put on the best smile possible, ignoring the pain in her cheeks. Ophelia had observed the doctor when he spoke to her, and saw the face he made when she had grimaced from smiling. She hated that face, and hated that it was because of her that he had made it. Ophelia was determined to make this as easy as possible for Dr. Cullen and at no expense to herself. Unfortunately for her, Dr. Cullen wouldn't see how much strength it took for Ophelia to keep her composure; it was only her brother.

"Hey Lia, how are you?" he asked, sitting in a bony chair next to Ophelia's bed.

"I'm all right. It could've been worse, I guess. And you?" she said.

"I'm fine. Mom's been on a rampage at home, screaming at everyone to get our asses down here to check on you. Ironically, she won't come herself. Said her 'poor nerves' couldn't take it."

Ophelia smiled. "That sounds about right. What about Bea and Bianca?"

He shrugged. "Just about the same as any other day, shopping and arguing over who is the most attractive to Seth Clearwater. I swear, if he told them he would date them if they both cut off all their hair and jumped off a cliff, they would do it."

"They totally would!" Ophelia laughed. "What's worse is that they're oblivious to his rejection! Poor kid, can't get away from either of them!"

Macbeth smiled shrewdly, as if thinking of a secret only he knew that Ophelia had no awareness of. Ophelia raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because I know something you don't!" he taunted.

"What? What do you know? Tell me!"

"Oh no, baby sis, you'll have to wait to find that one out!" Macbeth laughed.

Ophelia rolled her eyes and smiled. "You are so lucky I'm critically injured right now."

Macbeth's smile fell and he closed his eyes. He took Ophelia's bandaged hand and gently squeezed it, careful as to not cause her any pain. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have teased you like that," he mournfully apologized.

"What? Why are you sorry? It was a harmless joke!" Ophelia said incredulously.

"I shouldn't have prompted you to say such a thing."

"Say what, that I'm critically injured? C'mon Mac, I'd rather the situation be treated lightly instead of like a funeral!"

Macbeth smiled ruefully and nodded. "You're a trooper, Lia. Always have been."

"And you're the best big brother on the entire planet!" Ophelia countered.

Macbeth rolled his eyes, as if he'd heard the same compliment at least twenty times today. He stood up and stretched out his back, a bit cramped from having sat down in the uncomfortable hospital chair. Ophelia heard his joints crack loudly and winced; she had never liked the sound, it resembled crunching bones too much. As if Ophelia hadn't already had enough of breaking bones today.

Macbeth gently stroked Ophelia's scarring cheek, saying, "I'll come by later, okay? Mom's making me pick up Tweedledumb and Dumber at the mall."

"Say hi to them for me?"

"Sure thing." Macbeth squeezed her hand one more time and quietly exited the small hospital room, wincing when the door creaked piercingly. Ophelia chuckled to herself and laid back onto her pillows, closing her eyes and thinking about how much she loved her brother. Some kids had the stereotypical sibling relationship where fighting and teasing was a constant element to everyday life; with Mac, Ophelia didn't have to worry about anything of the sort. He'd always been there to defend her against the neighborhood bullies who made fun of her name, and to take pictures for her parents on every first date she'd ever had. No one could ever replace Macbeth Westcott, her big brother.

Suddenly a soft knock came from the other side of the door. "Forget something, Mac?" Ophelia called out.

"It's only me," Dr. Cullen answered as he opened the door without making a sound.

"Oh, I thought you were my brother," she said.

"I know, I met him on his way out. He seems like a caring young man," Carlisle observed.

Ophelia nodded with a wide smile. "He is. He's the most wonderful brother any girl could ever have!"

Carlisle smiled at Ophelia's obvious delight in discussing her brother. He knew how much his visit had meant to her; Carlisle had personally kept surveillance for any other Westcotts, but no one had come to visit their injured family member, until Macbeth Westcott. This disappointed him and his views of their family-like image. A true family would be there for each other no matter what the circumstances were. The Westcotts seemed to be only concerned with themselves individually, the youngest sisters especially. The mother and father weren't entirely selfish beings, but they weren't in essence the epitome of parenthood. The only sensible, compassionate Westcotts were Ophelia and Macbeth.

"Umm, Dr. Cullen?" Ophelia interrupted his thoughts.

"Mmm?"

"When can I get out of here?"

The question surprised Carlisle. "Why would you want to leave?"

Ophelia's eyes cast downward, as if ashamed of what she was thinking. She said quietly, "I miss my family. It's hard for me to be away from them for this long. I need to go home to take care of them."

"That's not all, is it?" Carlisle, being a three hundred year old vampire, had become perceptive enough to understand the conflicting emotions of human beings. "What else is it? Don't you want to stay here until you are fully recovered?"

"I told you, my family needs me. They might actually starve if I don't get home to make dinner," she said to herself.

Carlisle smiled. Ophelia reminded him of Bella; always looking out for others instead of herself, whether she was critically injured or not. He grimaced at the painful memories of the time in Phoenix a few years ago, and how close they'd come to losing Bella because of injuries that were similar to Ophelia's. Ophelia looked up when Carlisle didn't answer her, and was shocked to see the same pained look on his face as before. It hurt her so much to see it; no one that beautiful should ever have a reason to be sad or hurt, especially one as gentle and kindhearted as Dr. Carlisle Cullen.

"I'm sorry Dr. Cullen, did I say something wrong?" she asked.

Carlisle's face smoothed into the same calm façade as before, almost as if he had never been inclined to make such a face in the first place. "What do you mean?" he wondered aloud.

Ophelia fiddled with her hands and stared at them. "Well, I saw the face you just made. Did you make it because of something I said?"

Carlisle cursed to himself; the girl was as perceptive as Bella. He would have to be careful of his emotions around her. "No, but I did think of an idea that would allow you to both continue your medical care and see your family."

Ophelia nodded expectantly, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I have all the necessary medicine and equipment in my home to take care of you. If you are open to the idea, you could stay with my family until you are fully recovered, and manage to frequently visit your own family."

Ophelia's mind was in a whirl. Almost all of her wanted to accept the generous offer; she would be near to Carlisle, who she had formed an attachment to, and she would still be taken care of just as much as she would be if she stayed in the hospital, if not better. But a flicker of doubt was flashing through her thoughts. A tiny part of her, small and insignificant for most of the time, was warning her that there were possible consequences to obliging to Dr. Cullen. Ophelia couldn't pinpoint it, but it was almost as if her conscience was telling her that Dr. Cullen, and his family as well, could be…dangerous. That was the only word that could sum up the feeling she felt at times, like now. But still, when Ophelia began to think practically, she wasn't entirely sure if her family could afford to keep her under hospital care for the next few months, even with insurance. It was with that small little fact, and all the other feelings of uncertainty, willingness, and excitement, that she answered, "I think that would be manageable."


	4. Can Werewolves Un Imprint?

"Oh Carlisle, this will all work out! I know it," Alice chirped.

"How could this possibly work out?" Edward interrupted. "Bringing in a human who has no knowledge of what we are, and putting her at a risk? Come on Carlisle, even you said yourself you have a difficult time controlling yourself around her!"

Alice rolled her eyes. "FYI, we've been in this situation before! We know how to prepare ourselves!"

Carlisle's head sunk into his hands. Telling his family of his offer to Ophelia turned out to be a very bad idea. Although, he was inclined to agree with Alice's point of view, having indeed handled a similar situation before, the paternal instincts within him yearned to protect Ophelia, thus compromising with Edward.

Rosalie scoffed at her sister. "That doesn't necessarily mean it is safe! Just because we didn't kill Bella at first doesn't mean that we'll show the same courtesy to that human!"

Carlisle heard a frustrated Edward mutter under his breath, "Thank you, Rosalie."

The Cullens all turned to look at Bella, who had been mindlessly twirling a piece of her hair between her bony fingers. Edward slipped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed them gently, prompting a dreamy smile from his wife.

"I've been thinking," she said, "and I think that Carlisle is right. She needs the caring that he can provide here. If not, she won't get any better."

"Bella, love, it's dangerous. We don't know how you'll fare with a human in the house."

"I realize that. But, we have to think of Ophelia first, and her healthy recovery should be top priority."

Edward rolled his eyes. "You can't save everyone on the planet, Bella."

"I'm sorry, Edward," she replied, standing up and moving over to sit next to Carlisle, "but I'm taking Carlisle's side. I'm going to help him help Ophelia."

Carlisle smiled appreciatively at his daughter-in-law and gratefully took her hand. She smiled warmly at him and gave an apologetic smile to Edward, who was fuming.

"Hey, people," Emmett called. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over at the bulky teddy bear of the family.

"I have to say, I'm with Carlisle and Bells on this one. We need to start thinking of Ophelia, and not how her staying here will affect us. If we're so humane and compassionate, then why can't we open our arms to a human in need? I'm going to help them take care of her too."

Everyone stared wide-eyed at Emmett, mouths gaping a little bit. Rosalie felt a strong urge to envelope her husband into a searing kiss, and was thinking, _Why can't he be like this all the time? _She clutched the arm of her chair so to prevent anything from happening that she might regret. Carlisle and Edward had thoughtful expressions on their faces, as if Emmett's sudden behavior could be explained scientifically. Esme wore a huge smile on her face, and Alice was smiling smugly, knowing that this was coming. Bella had almost burst out laughing and had clapped her hand to her mouth hastily.

"You know, Emmett, that was actually a pretty thoughtful thing to say. Knowing you, I expected something along the lines of, 'Yeah, another klutzy human I get to watch fall down a lot; how can this go wrong?'" Jasper teased.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that I get to see another klutzy human fall down a lot?" Emmett laughed. Rose, Alice, Bella, and Esme rolled their eyes as Jasper chucked his shoe at Emmett, which he easily dodged.

"All right, all right," Carlisle shouted as the tossing of inanimate objects began to grow into something more physical. "I'm going to ask for the general decision. Can I bring Ophelia here and help her recover?"

At first, everyone but Edward and Rosalie had nodded, but seeing that they were outnumbered, unwillingly gave in. Carlisle sighed with relief and said, "Thank you. I am very thankful to have such a caring family."

Alice had been smiling with approval when her face went blank. She suddenly gasped and broke into an even wider grin than before, almost jumping up and down with excitement. Everyone turned to her with questioning glances, to which she just replied, "It seems Renesmee's going to get a new playmate!"

Bella's smile dropped almost instantly. "What did you just say, Alice?"

"Oh, I think you heard me," Alice replied smugly.

"No! Absolutely not! I am not letting my half-vampire daughter play with a human she could _bite_!"

Edward stood by her side, arm still around Bella's thin shoulders. "Love, you are being a bit hypocritical. If you're going to be taking care of Ophelia yourself, you are more of a danger to her than Nessie."

Alice nodded. "Plus, I've already seen that Nessie doesn't plan on biting Ophelia the first few hours, at least."

Bella moaned and trudged upstairs to her daughter's playroom. Edward chuckled and followed her. Rosalie and Emmett had disappeared to who knows where; a series of thumps from overhead confirmed everyone's suspicions, making them grimace with disgust. Alice skipped over to her husband and led him outside, leaving Carlisle alone with his wife.

"Well," Carlisle began after a few minutes of silence, "that did not go as I'd hoped."

"No, I assume not. But, the important thing is that Ophelia is going to get the care she needs," Esme said.

"I guess I shouldn't have expected everyone to be supportive of my idea, knowing how Edward and Rosalie share similar views on human interaction."

Esme snorted, managing to make it sound like a quiet giggle. "Which I still can't understand, seeing as they've seen how rewarding human interaction can be!"

Carlisle smiled grimly. "You know as well as I do that being close with humans doesn't always work out the way we hope it will. Just because Bella turned out all right, doesn't mean that Ophelia will."

Esme walked gracefully to her husband and wrapped him in a loving embrace. She placed a tentative kiss on his pearl-white throat and whispered, "We'll just have to wait and see then, won't we?"

* * *

Edward watched his wife silently as she played checkers with her daughter, chuckling quietly when Bella would groan at Nessie taking another one of her pieces, and then again when Bella would scowl at him for laughing at her. It had happened at least five times when Bella exasperatedly said, "Fine, I give up!"

"Yay, I win!" Nessie cried happily.

Bella shook her head and sighed as she stood by Edward. "I can't believe I'm still getting beaten by a four year old!"

"Technically, she's only two months old," Edward whispered.

Bella slapped his shoulder with mock annoyance and rolled her eyes. Edward chuckled and pulled her into a chaste kiss, which she then deepened quickly. Edward had to pull away fast before it got out of hand; even though Nessie was smarter and more mature than the average toddler, there were still a few things he wouldn't dare let her see or know about. Bella understood only too well and unwillingly settled for a hug.

Edward soon felt a tug at his shirt and looked down into the large and warm brown eyes of his daughter. He leaned down to her level and allowed her to place her hands to his cheeks, and closed his eyes.

Vivid images swirled in front of his eyes, all of them of different-looking girls. After Nessie had shown him the twentieth image, he understood and smiled. Nessie took her hands off and engulfed him into a strong hug. Edward only laughed gaily and spun Nessie around in a circle.

"What? What did she show you?" Bella asked.

"Our daughter is curious about Ophelia, and she's wondering what she will look like," Edward replied.

Bella laughed at the simplicity of the child's thoughts. She joined her husband and daughter in the center of the playroom and hugged the both of them. "I'm sure Ophelia will be as beautiful and fun as you are, Nessie," she said.

Nessie giggled and said, "I want her to play with me and my wolf! We'll have so much fun together!"

Bella laughed, but then straightened up suddenly. Her eyes had glassed over, and a pondering look was evident on her face. Edward quickly grew concerned and whispered, "Nessie, please go to Aunt Alice and play with her for a little while, okay?"

Nessie nodded and ran out of the room. Edward turned back to Bella, who was in the process of smiling. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, waiting patiently for his wife to clue him in to what she was thinking.

"Edward, I'm beginning to only be surer of Ophelia coming to stay here every minute!" Bella exclaimed happily.

"And why is that?" Edward asked cautiously. Bella had seemed to have forgotten that he was no more supportive of the idea than before.

"Let me ask you something first," Bella ignored his question. "Do you think it's possible for a werewolf to…un-imprint?"

Edward was as confused as ever by the sudden inquiry, and was seriously trying to think of a suitable answer. It took a few more moments for him to understand the basis of Bella's question.

"Bella, love, please don't tell me you're going to try to match Jacob with Ophelia."

"Who said I was even thinking of it? I was just curious."

"Look, I'm no happier about his imprinting on Nessie than you are, but it's not something he can just switch off. He is going to be with her his entire life, and you need to start accepting that."

"It's not as easy for me as it seems it was for you! He was my best friend, damn it! I almost dated him for crying out loud, and now he's in love with our daughter! Our four year old daughter! I'm going to try as hard as I can to make sure that Jake ends up with Ophelia, whether you like it or not!" Bella shouted.

Edward calmly waited for her to finish ranting, and then placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "Bella, listen to yourself. This isn't you; you are being completely and utterly selfish right now. Jacob isn't yours to control and tell who he can love. The situation with Nessie is one that we can deal with as time passes, but you're not taking into account how Ophelia would feel about this. She might not love Jacob as much as you wish she would."

Bella's shoulders slumped and she leaned into Edward for support. Edward ran his fingers through her dark brown hair until she had calmed down, and just held her. He didn't know how long he did, but it felt like a long time. They stayed still for so long, Edward forgot where he was and just dreamed off into space with his lovely Bella, never wanting the moment to end where he'd have to release her from his hold.

Bella stirred from in his arms, snapping Edward back to the dainty playroom. She had turned her face up to look at him; she had no reason but to look upon the beautiful, god-like face of the man she loved and thank the heavens he chose her.

Edward placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and whispered, "Better?"

"Mmm-hmm," Bella affirmed.

She suddenly moved her face upward, catching Edward's lips with her own. Soon, they were caught in the act that they had desperately tried to cover up in front of Renesmee, and were lost in their own world of peace and love.


	5. Bipolar? Try Tripolar

Ophelia sat in her wheelchair, chained indefinitely until she reached her destination: Dr. Carlisle Cullen's home. All the arrangements had been heartily approved by her parents, who were quick to accept offers where a buck or two was saved on their part. The only one who truly protested was Macbeth, but the heads of the Westcott clan simply ignored his pleas to let him take care of his baby sister.

The ambulance bumped roughly down the wooded road towards the Cullen house. Ophelia would have gone right through the ceiling had she not been tied down, but that didn't mean the wheelchair as a whole was restricted from movement. Carlisle was sitting in the passenger seat, watching Ophelia with amused eyes from the rearview mirror. Ophelia would get the feeling he was watching her, and turn around in whatever position to scowl at him. Carlisle would only smile and avert his amber eyes elsewhere for a few seconds, and then carefully observe his take-home patient until she caught him again.

The drive seemed to take forever to Ophelia, and it only made her wonder how anyone could exist this deep into the forest. It seemed the journey had all but whisked her away from the human world, and shoved her into one of peace and relaxation. Unfortunately, the bulky armored car made the trip that much more…not relaxing.

Carlisle turned over his shoulder at one point when he noticed they would pull up to the house at any minute. He grinned when he saw a pale white hand gripping a shelf tightly to prevent any sudden movement. "Are we all right back there?" he asked with a small smirk.

"Just peachy," Ophelia grumbled.

Carlisle laughed. "I see you're having trouble keeping still."

"How observant of you. Tell me, are you this aware of your patients when you trap them in situations that are amusing only to you? Because it seems like you're getting a kick out of me rolling around like a bowling ball back here!"

"True, but it's not your rolling around. It's your facial expressions. They are quite amusing to me."

"Glad I could be of service to you," Ophelia said sarcastically, bowing in her wheelchair.

Just then the ambulance hit a large pothole and ran over it quite fast. Ophelia's wheelchair lifted off the ground a few inches, causing her to scream, "Oh my God, I'm going to die!"

"Sorry miss, just a minute more," the driver called back to her apologetically.

"Don't worry about her, Bill. She's just a little cranky today without her medicine," Carlisle said.

Ophelia laughed hysterically. "Ha! I don't need medicine! Not now, at least. Wait until after I crush myself because of this ambulance to give me any painkillers!"

As if timed perfectly, the ambulance rolled to a stop. Ophelia tried to wheel herself over to a window that was stationed towards the front of the vehicle, then noticed that the brakes were in place. And they could only be unlocked from the handles.

"Damn it! Dr. Cullen, get me out of this death trap!" Ophelia yelled.

Carlisle, waiting outside of the doors in the back, laughed quietly to himself. During this most interesting road trip, he'd brought out a side of Ophelia that wasn't as sweet and innocent as he'd first thought. Apparently, she could be quite temperamental. Carlisle was overjoyed at having found this out about his charge, and was getting impatient to introduce her to the rest of the family. He knew she would get along wonderfully with Bella, and from what he overheard with certain conversations between her brother and herself, with the werewolves as well.

"Dr. Cullen! I swear to God, if you don't get me out of here right now, I'll…"

Carlisle swung the doors open right on cue, and was greeted with a frenzied Ophelia. Her brown hair had become tangled with sweat and was sticking up at different ends. Her eyes were a dark blue, a stormy hurricane waiting to unleash its wrath on an unsuspecting victim. But, Carlisle saw a small sparkle, which told him she wasn't as mad as her voice made her appear.

Ophelia huffed and shook her head. "Well, that's better! Some fresh air!"

Carlisle unloaded his patient to the ground with caution and unlocked the security brakes. Ophelia lurched forward, but Carlisle kept a steady grip on the wheelchair. He turned her to face his home and whispered, "Welcome to my home."

Ophelia's eyes widened with awe and gasped. The house was more beautiful than anything anyone could ever picture. A clean, pure white, with glass windows lining the first and second floor walls, the picturesque mansion in the grassy spring clearing made for a gorgeous dream. Ophelia blinked a few times to make sure she hadn't fallen asleep.

"Wow," she breathed.

Carlisle felt an area in his chest swell with pride, right were his heart would have been if he was alive. A cough from behind distracted him.

"Oh, Bill. I almost forgot. Thank you very much for driving us down here. I'll talk to you on Monday about some compensation," Carlisle dismissed his co-worker.

"Yeah, whatever," Bill grunted, and drove off.

Carlisle turned back to Ophelia, who was still staring at his house with a dreamy expression. Her eyes had melted into a soft blue with green inflections, quietly soaking in the spectacular picture in front of her. Her face had gained a childlike quality to it, as if a small child was ogling at all of his presents on Christmas morning. Carlisle marveled at how one human being could seem so innocent, and yet so mature and experienced in life's trials at the same time. A small ray of sunlight shone on her face, and Carlisle almost gasped. It was as if there was no sign of injury or harm to her features; it was almost like she had morphed into a vampire in five minutes, for she surely looked like one in that moment.

Ophelia seemed to snap out of her spacey mood and looked at him, a smile playing on her lips. "So, am I allowed to come in, or what?"

"Of course, of course," Carlisle blurted hurriedly, "I'll wheel you in."

He chastised himself mentally for becoming so hasty and flustered. Surely, had he been human, he would be tomato red right now. Never before had he felt so completely eager to please someone as much as now; Carlisle knew that it was evident to Ophelia as well, for she had giggled at his enthusiasm. Ophelia, on the other hand, was confused and a bit frazzled herself, even though the good doctor couldn't see it. She had noticed it in his eyes, that he would do everything he could to gratify her while she was under his care, and it scared her. No one had ever paid such attention to her, and she was worried it might refer to some underlying motive of Dr. Cullen's. One thing Ophelia's mother had always told her was, "Never forget the one thing a man is always after."

Ophelia's thoughtful expression caught Carlisle off guard as he speedily wheeled her into the foyer of the Cullen mansion. Her face had become entirely devoid of excitement the same second he had perceived her thinking of something. Carlisle, being a vampire with over three hundred years of experience, already knew why.

The crippled patient almost shrieked with surprise when she was approached by a group of eight people, whom she assumed to be Dr. Cullen's family. The first thing she noticed was that they were all devastatingly attractive, obviously a family trait. The other thing was that with exception of their pale skin and amber eyes, except for the littlest one, who had brown eyes, they all had absolutely nothing else in common. Ophelia thought how strange it was that one family could look so…unrelated to each other.

Her body had immediately tensed when she was rolled into the house. She noticed a tall blonde boy, who was perched next to a small, skinny girl in the corner of the room, had also tensed up. Then, she suddenly felt serene, like a soothing wave had washed over her, cleansing her of all nervousness. She felt as tranquil as if she had been lying under a starry sky with no company or interruption, with just calm composure as her companion. The blonde's shoulders lowered a little bit as he smiled softly to himself.

"Ophelia," Carlisle said to her once she had spun to a halt, "I would like you to meet my family." He prayed with all his might that everyone would be normal and act like they were happy to have Ophelia; he then rephrased his prayer that Edward and Rosalie would accept her fully.

"Umm…hello, everyone," Ophelia said shyly.

Carlisle almost guffawed at her. She had gone from furious, to childlike, to reserved, all in the matter of ten minutes. He'd never personally seen so many different intervals of emotion occur in so short a time. Ophelia was continuing to surprise him with every passing second.

A woman of average height with wavy, auburn hair stepped forward with a smile. "I'm Esme Cullen, Carlisle's wife. It's so nice to meet you, Ophelia."

Ophelia hesitantly shook Esme's hand, but pulled back at the instant contact. Her hand had been ice cold, as if she'd stuck them in the freezer for the past hour. Esme looked confused at first, and then chuckled. "I apologize, Ophelia. I've just washed my hands with extremely cold water."

"It's fine," Ophelia said with a small smile.

The tiny girl next to the tense blonde came up to her and grasped her undamaged hand, with no regard for how chilly it felt to Ophelia. "I'm Alice, Carlisle's daughter. It's so great to meet you! We're going to be the best of friends!"

"C'mon Alice, you can't scare her off just yet!" a hugely-built boy laughed next to Esme. He held up a pale white hand and said, "Name's Emmett. Don't mess with me."

A blonde girl, easily the most beautiful one of the family, punched his shoulder and glared at him. Emmett just laughed and ruffled her perfectly arranged golden hair, which made her shriek and cry, "Emmett, you dunce! Now I have to comb it out all over again!"

Emmett roared with laughter as she ran out of the room. Ophelia heard a door slam shut from down the hallway and giggled to herself. She probably wasn't the most humble one of the family.

"You're correct, she is very vain," another boy said as he stepped out of line. He was the most handsome boy she'd ever seen, a hundred times more stunning than any of the perfect men she'd ever dreamed of. His beauty was almost enough to distract her from his statement. Had she said that the girl was absorbed with herself out loud? Ophelia could have sworn she hadn't said a word of the kind.

"I'm Edward Cullen," the bronze-haired boy introduced himself, "and this is my wife Bella, and my daughter Renesmee. We call her Nessie for short."

A pale brown-haired girl with a heart-shaped face waved from next to Edward with her free hand; the other arm was supporting the most remarkable little child Ophelia had ever witnessed. The petite girl, Renesmee, smiled widely, showing off a set of perfectly white teeth. She reached out an arm and clenched her hand into a fist, then kept repeating the action. Ophelia almost cried out with joy; the absolute, most wonderful girl in the world wanted to see _her_.

Carlisle watched his granddaughter and perceived her actions quickly. He shook his head slightly at Bella, telling her not to let Renesmee touch Ophelia just yet. Bella nodded discreetly and shushed her daughter, who had begun to chant, "I want to see her! I want to see her!"

"You can play with Ophelia later, okay? It's time to take a nap now," Bella told Renesmee as she carried her out of the room.

Edward stood there for a second, and then bowed slightly, saying, "Excuse me."

That left Esme, Emmett, Alice, and the last person Ophelia had yet to meet, not counting the beauty-obsessed girl. Ophelia turned the wheelchair to face the boy in the corner and said, "And you are?"

"Jasper Cullen. Pleased to meet you," the boy answered formally, nodding his head. He made no advance towards her.

Carlisle couldn't have been more pleased with himself. This moment triumphed all of the others of his eternal life; his family had formally accepted his singer into their home with no discontent for either side. At that moment, he knew he'd made the right choice in bringing Ophelia to his home.

"Well, I believe that is everyone," Carlisle stated.

"Hey, what about us?" a deep voice called from what Ophelia guessed to be the kitchen. "Didn't forget us, did you doc?"

Then, three very tall, and very tan, people walked into the room, two boys and one girl. They all had black hair and very fine-featured faces with high cheekbones. The girl wore a mean expression directed at her, making Ophelia cringe in her wheelchair. The other two boys were smiling widely as they loped over to where Carlisle had stationed his patient. Ophelia saw one of the boys' faces go blank with wide brown eyes.

"Ophelia, this is Jacob Black, and Leah and Seth Clearwater. They are…family friends," Carlisle struggled to find a term that described the werewolves' bond to the vampire clan.

"Oh, I know them already! Their parents are good friends with my parents," Ophelia smiled, glad she'd found some comforting factor in her move to the Cullen house.

The tallest one of the three's eyes enlarged, as if a light bulb had suddenly gone off in his head. "Wait, you're Ophelia Westcott? Mac's sister?"

"Yep, that's me. You're Jake, right? My sisters talk about you all the time at home, and you too, Seth," Ophelia turned to the other boy, who was ogling at her. His stare made her feel slightly uncomfortable, so she wheeled back to face Jake.

"Oh, you mean Beatrice and Bianca, right? Yeah, they're…err...nice," Jake said with a strained smile.

Ophelia laughed at his attempt to be polite. "No need to be nice about it. I know how they can seem like type-A stalkers."

Jake's face relaxed. Ophelia laughed, making Carlisle smile.

Meanwhile, Seth Clearwater was in a quandary. The second he'd laid eyes on Ophelia Westcott, his mind had gone completely blank. He couldn't remember who he was, or where he was, only that in the dead center of the room, covered in bandages and plaster, was a girl. A girl he'd heard of before from one of the many conversations he'd had with her overly eager sisters. A girl who, before that moment, had meant absolutely nothing to him. Now, she meant absolutely everything.


	6. Nessie's Foolproof Escape Plan

Renesmee quietly played with her MP3 player on her bed while her parents were in their room. She was insanely curious as to what they would do in there every night around nine p.m., but any time she would ask, they would evade the question skillfully; any human would have just forgotten about it and moved on, but Renesmee was _half_ human, and she had resolved that she would figure it out some day.

At that moment, she was bored. For the past ten hours, she'd been bored. The only time of the day she had shown any excited emotion was when she first laid her eyes on Ophelia. Renesmee wasn't a profound judge of beauty, but she could see the small twinkle in her oceanic eyes and the small curve of her lips every time her grandpa would gently wheel her somewhere. It was painfully obvious how much of a preference Ophelia showed to Carlisle, and he the same. As young as she was, Renesmee was amazingly perceptive. A trait passed on from her mother, she would guess.

A loud _thump _came from down the hall, near her parents' quarters. It almost sounded as if they were…wrestling. Renesmee sighed, her way of complaining about the vast amount of nothing that there was to do.

Suddenly, an idea struck her mind. She thought about the plan for a few minutes, and nodded to herself positively, knowing that her parents were too busy in their occupations to even bother checking for her. Renesmee bounced lightly off the bed, not making a single sound as she lithely landed on the wood floor. As she opened the door and crept to the front of the small cottage she lived in, she was grateful that her family had made renovations on the place; if they hadn't, the jig would have been up for sure.

The second she was outside in the cool, drizzling rain, she dashed through the forest until she was about fifty yards from the house, and then slowed down to a cautious walk. Once she'd made it up to the back door, she was extremely confident. Confident a bit too soon, unfortunately. The back door had opened to reveal a very peeved-looking Alice standing in Renesmee's way.

Renesmee stopped dead in her tracks and hung her head shamefully. Her feet kicked at the ground as she mumbled, "Hi, Aunt Alice."

"Nessie," Alice said lowly, as if she was about to pluck her off the ground and strap her into her bed, "what are you doing out here?"

"Umm…I just wanted to see Ophelia. Really quickly! I'd have been back in my bed in five minutes, I swear!" Renesmee added.

Alice shook her head and rubbed her cheek with her hand, sighing at the same time. "Did you not take into account that I can predict your future? The minute the 'escape,'" Alice said using air quotes, "plan popped into your head, I knew about it."

Renesmee tried to think back to when she was sitting on her bed, plotting out the perfect way to get to Ophelia without any exterior knowledge. Realizing that she hadn't factored Alice into the equation, she shook her head dejectedly.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Alice," she mumbled.

"I know." Alice came over to her niece and wrapped her arms around her in a comforting hug. "But, if you want to get a chance to meet her before your parents figure out you're gone, then you'd better hurry."

Renesmee grinned up to her and planted a quick kiss on her cheek. "Thanks, Aunt Alice! You're the best!"

She ran into the house, leaving behind a dazzled Alice.

* * *

Ophelia watched Dr. Cullen carefully as he wired her up to the heart monitor. She was embarrassed when the chart would beep shrilly every time he would unintentionally touch her skin, and then chuckle at her reaction.

"It's all right, I'm quite used to it," he mentioned.

"Heh, used to what?" Ophelia asked shakily.

"The stutter of the heart when ever I happen to make contact with someone else."

"So, it happens a lot then? You frequently dazzle your patients, making their hearts stutter?"

Carlisle paused for a moment and turned to look at her with his golden eyes, seemingly melting into her own. "I dazzle you?"

Ophelia realized what she had just said, and quickly tried to cover it up with a guilty-sounding laugh, meant to sound nonchalant. "Ha, no! I'm just saying that…umm…what I meant was…err…"

"It's fine," Carlisle chuckled. Ophelia almost slapped herself and crossed her arms to prevent from doing so.

"So," Carlisle said, "I am going to let you sleep in here tonight, and then until you are feeling more recovered, I will move you into one of the guest rooms."

"That's fine."

Carlisle turned to leave and stopped when the bedridden girl called out, "Dr. Cullen?"

He looked back at Ophelia, who had an apologetic smile on her face.

"Thank you. For everything, I mean. I realize how much of an inconvenience this must be to you and your family, and I can only say that I am truly grateful to have a doctor that cares so much…"

Carlisle waved his hand to stop her from continuing. As much as he loved to hear how thankful she was, and that she was aware how much he cared for her, Carlisle didn't believe he could have contained himself if she'd gone on. He most likely would have been very tempted to wrap the girl in his arms and hold her forever, as long as he could be the only one to heal her and be near her. He suddenly thought how unfortunate it was he'd agreed to let Bella and Emmett help him. _Stop it Carlisle_, he berated himself mentally, _that is selfish of you. As long as Ophelia recovers, that's all that matters. You can't think about yourself when it comes to her life._ Carlisle solemnly nodded to himself, saddened by the correctness of his mind's discipline.

"Dr. Cullen? Are you all right?"

Carlisle's head snapped up to see Ophelia, wide-eyed and worried, staring at him with those beautiful, shining eyes. He noticed that they had gained sea-green inflections in the past few hours; how wonderfully they made her eyes sparkle…

Ophelia was starting to panic at her caretaker's sudden state. He looked like a fallen angel, deeply depressed with his earthly surroundings, but making the scene brighter with his presence. Carlisle nodded to himself again, prompting Ophelia to ask once more, "Dr. Cullen?"

Carlisle snapped out of his somber mood and smiled enthusiastically. A little too enthusiastic, Ophelia noticed. Something was clearly wrong with her guardian angel, but she knew he wouldn't just burden her with his problems. Not that Ophelia would mind…

"All set then, yes?" Carlisle asked gaily. "Then, good night, and I will see you in the morning!" He quickly turned on his heel and almost sprinted out of the room that was becoming too intoxicating for him; Ophelia's scent had begun to permeate the air, and God knows how long it would have been before he'd lost control.

"Oh, okay then. Good night," Ophelia said to Carlisle as he left.

She sat there for a few minutes, hurt and confused. Ophelia knew better than most people that Carlisle cared deeply for everyone, and would never do something to intentionally bring pain to someone. However, his quick escape from her could be compared to a stab in the heart. Ophelia wondered what she had done. Her eyes started to brim with tears of frustration, because she only knew too well that something was wrong with her doctor, and she couldn't help but feel like she was the cause of it. As much as he denied that anything was the matter, Ophelia wasn't stupid.

The door knob slowly began to turn, but Ophelia had closed her eyes to shut away the oncoming tears for future use. She wasn't aware of another person in the room until a melodic soprano voice asked, "Ophelia?"

Ophelia's eyes shot open and came to behold the little child from earlier, the one her mother wouldn't let her hold. She thought hard to remember the name; Renesmee, she thought with satisfaction. It was a name so uncommon, yet so stunning, she was disgusted with herself for forgetting it in the first place.

Renesmee smiled widely, with her array of perfect, small teeth, and said, "I'm Renesmee. I would have talked to you earlier, but Momma wouldn't let me."

"Hello. You already know my name, it seems. What are you doing up here? Shouldn't you be in bed?" Ophelia was deeply impressed with the girl's formal, mature speech. She pondered how a girl that looked about two years old could be gifted with such early development. Little Einsteins, maybe?

"I guess so, but I escaped from my house. My parents were doing something, so they didn't notice I left," Renesmee said with a devilish smile, like she just pulled off the ultimate prank. "But, I wanted to see you."

"Oh? And why?"

"Because I want you to be one of my best friends. I only have one friend, and that's my wol…boy-who-happens-to-be-a-friend Jacob. It's lonely not having anyone to play with," she said with a devastating frown. Every emotion that appeared on the girl's glorious little face, it was so severe, that it touched Ophelia's heart every time.

"I'm sorry. I'd like to be your friend, I would. But I don't think your family wants me to be around you," Ophelia said sadly.

"I know. But we could keep it a secret." She had tiptoed over to the side of Ophelia's bed and was now within whispering distance of the immobile woman. "No one would know about it."

Ophelia didn't want to disappoint Renesmee and see a hurt expression cross her features by rejecting her offer of 'secret friendship', so Ophelia just nodded and whispered back, "I'd like that. We're secret friends starting…now?"

"Yes!" Renesmee suddenly felt so overjoyed, so ecstatic, that she jumped onto Ophelia's bed and almost squeezed the life out of her. Ophelia was shocked at first, but then wound her gauzed arms around Renesmee and returned the hug that officially sealed their friendship.

A few minutes passed as they just lay there together. Ophelia had shifted in the rather miniature bed to give Renesmee room, but the girl wouldn't unlatch herself, and just kept clinging on to her new friend. Ophelia had prodded the child with her chin and repeatedly said her name to wake her up so she could return to her own bed. Ophelia soon found out that this girl could sleep through the explosion of an atomic bomb. So, Dr. Cullen's patient let her sleep there, next to her, and soon found her own eyes drooping. The warm little body next to her smelled so good, and the warmth of their combined body heat was enough to lull Ophelia straight to sleep.


	7. The Ultimate Question

**Sorry for the long periods between updates, but I've been super busy with school and basketball and other things! Thanks for reading, and staying updated with the chapters! I love the reviews, please keep them coming! :) Enjoy!**

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Carlisle had spent the better part of the night pacing around the Cullen mansion, finding odd little jobs to do as his mind replayed his previous encounter with Ophelia. She didn't know it, but he'd heard her dejected "Good night", and it had pained him to hear the hurt in her voice. He knew that Ophelia was close to figuring out that it was because of _her _existence that he was being a complete idiot around her. He cursed her perceptiveness, her eyes, her scent, everything about her that brought out the ravenous monster in him.

He was glad when the sun uncertainly rose at dawn, as if debating whether to make it another miserable-looking day for Forks. Little morning rays of yellow speckled the rooms, making the house sparkle. Carlisle's stomach began to flip as he climbed the stairs to Ophelia's room, something that would happen every time he was supposed to see her. He'd become quite used to it by now.

The soft sound of Ophelia's beating heart wandered the hallway and found Carlisle's ears. It was slow and rhythmic; she was still asleep. But then, another pulsing heart began to interfere with Ophelia's. Carlisle immediately knew whose heart it was, and was surprisingly angry with his granddaughter. He suddenly thought, _Why should Renesmee be allowed to see Ophelia at the times when I can't? _Carlisle rebuked himself silently for the selfish thought as he pushed the door open.

Carlisle had never seen a more peaceful, or beautiful, sight in his existence. Renesmee had curled into Ophelia's side, with her arms wrapped around the woman sleeping next to her. It was almost as if Ophelia's arms were form-fitted to the little girl. The newly-rising sun shined a little light on their cheeks, giving them a sunny glow. As he inspected the scene closer, he could see the small smile on both Ophelia's and Renesmee's faces. It was enough to make him smile, despite his previous anger.

As she slept soundly, Ophelia's mind became aware of a third presence in her room, and opened her eyes wildly. She saw it was only Dr. Cullen. She sighed with relief and relaxed into her pillow and little Renesmee lying next to her. She suddenly looked down at the slumbering child, and remembered the previous night. Ophelia slowly took one of Renesmee's hands with her own and squeezed it gently to wake her up. The ploy worked, and Renesmee's eyes fluttered open.

"Good morning, Renesmee," Ophelia said with a smile. "And good morning to you, Dr. Cullen."

"Hello, Ophelia. Good morning, Renesmee," Carlisle said with a knowing look to his granddaughter.

"Grandpa?" Renesmee asked, looking at Carlisle with surprised eyes.

Ophelia chuckled. "Sorry Dr. Cullen, she found me after you'd gone last night and fell asleep right after."

"That's all right, but your parents are probably wondering where you are, Renesmee."

"Damn right, we are!" a thunderous voice yelled as the door burst open.

Edward and Bella appeared behind Carlisle, fury becoming one and apologetic eyes the other. Ophelia was too appalled at Edward to remember that she didn't know him very well, and angrily cried out, "Hey! You can't swear in front of a child! What will Renesmee think, that it's okay to cuss whenever she wants?"

Edward slowly turned to the invalid girl and menacingly advanced toward the bed, growling, "I will use whatever language in front of my daughter I choose, with no concern of yours."

"Edward, stop it!" Bella cried out. She ran forward and stepped in front of her husband, who was posed over Ophelia with a fist in front of her face. Ophelia's wide eyes betrayed her terror, but she tried to shake it away and stare back with as much defiance as she could muster.

"What right does this insignificant little girl have to tell me how to raise my daughter?" he roared.

"It's called freedom of speech. First amendment. Look it up," Ophelia spat. She didn't feel as brave as she sounded.

"Will you all STOP!" Renesmee yelled.

No one heard her over Edward and Ophelia screaming at each other. Bella had given up restraining him and had walked back to Carlisle, who had put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Are you aware that I am about a thousand times stronger than you, and can PERMANENTLY restrict your freedom of speech?"

"And are you aware that you are demonstrating horrible parenting skills? I can't even begin to comprehend how Renesmee is so well behaved when you gallivant around the place with swear words coming out of your mouth!"

"I will not hear anymore of this!" Edward roared as he stormed out of the room.

Bella looked worriedly back and forth between her husband's retreating form and the terrified girl lying next to her daughter. Bella said, "I'm so sorry about Edward" as she quickly went after her husband. Ophelia, astounded at what had just happened, started to shake when she thought of the underlying threat in Edward's words. Renesmee felt the vibrations and hugged her; Ophelia hugged her back without delay and started to sob quietly. Carlisle stood by the door, completely unsure of how to act for the first time in…well, a long time. The only thing he could think of was to go to Ophelia's side and rub her shoulder comfortingly, saying, "You're all right. You're all right now."

Ophelia soon stopped crying and started to laugh. She'd never felt sillier in her life and hastily wiped away the stray tears. Renesmee was still hugging her, but was confused. "Why are you laughing?"

"I feel so silly for crying after a little argument. I can't remember the last time I cried for something as stupid as a spat!" Ophelia chuckled.

Renesmee still didn't look convinced. "I don't know. Daddy seemed very angry with you. You shouldn't have argued with him."

Ophelia smiled tenderly at Renesmee, saying, "All I did was stand my ground. If your father can't respect that, then he's a…a…well, something I can't say in front of you."

"Ophelia, Renesmee is right. You did a very dangerous thing by arguing with Edward. His threats can sometimes be empty, but that doesn't mean they always will be," Carlisle said. "I don't know if you realize that Edward truly is a thousand times stronger than you, and can hurt you very easily."

"I know, Dr. Cullen. That's why I'm going to completely forget about everything that just happened," Ophelia said, finally calmed down.

Carlisle shook his head. "I'm afraid that isn't good enough. I think you should apologize to Edward."

"Why should I apologize to _him_? He clearly overreacted! If anything, he should apologize to _me_!"

"That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that, for your own sake, you should apologize to him."

Ophelia sat as Carlisle's words sunk into her, and realized that Edward wasn't the only one in fault. True, he had overreacted, but then again, she had too. Swearing in front of a child was considered bad parenting, but arguing in front of a child could be considered bad for a child too. Ophelia quickly resolved to apologize to Edward soon, be it for her own safety. She also remembered three other witnesses to the scene.

"Renesmee, Dr. Cullen, I should apologize to you as well. I'm sorry for the way I acted, especially in front of you," she turned to Renesmee. "That was very bad of me, and I'm sorry."

Renesmee smiled at her and quickly replied, "I forgive you!"

Carlisle chuckled and said, "I believe it's time for your breakfast, Renesmee. Esme's cooking pancakes, I hear."

"Yay, my favorite!" Renesmee chirped as she dashed out of the room.

Ophelia was left alone with Carlisle. She turned to him and said, "I'm sorry, Dr. Cullen. That was poor behavior on my part."

"Yes, but I've always admired people who stand up for what they believe in," Carlisle said with a smile.

Ophelia grinned with relief and sank into the pillow. She closed her eyes while Carlisle just stood there, looking upon his patient. Every word he'd said was true; his admiration for Ophelia had only increased when he watched her stand her ground to possibly the most terrifying debater to ever live in Forks. If Carlisle had been human at that moment, he would have surely run to the forest for shelter from his son. But he couldn't think about that now. He thought, _Edward, come up here. Ophelia has something she needs to say_.

An instant later, Edward burst through the door. He looked relatively calmer, not like he would get into another shouting match. His voice matched his controlled emotions.

"What?"

Carlisle smiled and stood by Ophelia's bed side so Edward could see her. "Ophelia would like to tell you something."

Edward looked expectantly at the girl in the bed, who had started to twist her fingers uneasily. Ophelia looked up at Carlisle, a definite _Do I have to? _look in her eyes. Carlisle returned it with a stern nod. Ophelia's shoulders sank.

"Oh all right!" she said finally. "I'm sorry I argued with you about Renesmee. Okay?"

Edward grinned, reading her thoughts that opposed the apology. Carlisle started to laugh as Ophelia's head banged against the headboard and she started to moan, "Why? Why me?"

"Come now, it wasn't that painful," Carlisle said with a smirk.

"It was _agonizing_!"

Edward chuckled. "Her thoughts are practically screaming in pain."

"Because I _am _in pain! You have no idea how hard it was for me to say sorry to a guy like…" Ophelia stopped short. She would have to keep herself in check to make sure she didn't anger Edward again.

"Like me? I can actually see where you're coming from. I wouldn't want to ever apologize to a man like myself. I guess you could say I'm very…intimidating."

"Try _beastly_!"

Carlisle watched the playful banter with happy thoughts. He'd known that Edward would enjoy Ophelia's outspoken conversation.

"Wait!" Ophelia sat straight up in her bed. "You never told me if you forgive me or not."

Edward tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I'm not sure; I might have to think about that one…"

Ophelia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."

"That's true. I have plenty of time to ponder this."

"I'll be waiting for the answer." Ophelia sat silently, fidgeting with the comforter she was under. After a few minutes, she said exasperatedly, "You do know it only takes a simple 'yes' or 'no' right?"

"Yes. I just wanted to see you become angry again. It was really quite amusing," he grinned wickedly.

"Glad I could be of service," she replied sarcastically.

Carlisle noted how Edward had seemed to throw himself into the conversation with Ophelia. He was facing her now, had moved down to her eye level, and was only a few feet away from her face. _Hmm, interesting…_

Edward stood up suddenly. He turned to give his father a harsh look. "You know that's not the case. I could never do that to Bella."

Ophelia looked up wonderingly at Carlisle, questions in her eyes. Carlisle shook his head, hoping she could read his eyes saying, _later, later. _She understood quickly.

Edward turned to leave the room, muttering, "I have to tend to Nessie now."

"Can I come see her?" Ophelia asked suddenly.

Carlisle's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. Edward turned so slowly, it was as if a movie had been put into extreme slow motion. "What?" he said thickly.

"Can I come and see her?" she repeated, not knowing the wrong she was making.

Carlisle was quick to come to her side and rub her shoulder gently. "Not today, my dear, maybe another time," he soothed, like a child. Ophelia's eyes flashed.

"I'm not a little kid. If I want to see her, then I can!"

"But, your legs! We can't give you opportunity to injure yourself even more!" Carlisle said. A little too worriedly.

"They feel fine! Watch!" she replied with hard determination in her voice.

Then, as carefully as she could, she slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed. Ophelia was preparing mentally for the excruciating pain that was sure to come from her broken legs. But she couldn't feel them in the bulky walking casts Dr. Cullen had fitted for her. She put slight pressure on them and smiled in a self-satisfactory way. She had only felt a little soreness. Perfectly fine to put all of her weight on them…

Ophelia almost collapsed with the pain. She quickly grabbed onto the bed to steady herself, with Carlisle rushing to her side. He helped to lift the pain off for a little bit by holding her up on his feet. Ophelia tried to restrain a hysterical laugh, but it came out sounding like a choked up cough.

Edward stayed where he was, watching with a smooth façade for a face. Ophelia looked hard, and could actually see worry in his eyes. It was hidden deep, but somehow, she saw it. She smiled widely at Edward.

"See?" she gasped. "Perfectly fine."

"I think not," Edward snorted. "Unless the collapsing bit was an act. Then, I say bravo!"

Carlisle sat her back up on the bed and turned to look at her. Ophelia cringed, feeling like she was about to be scolded. The doctor drew back a bit at her flinching, but retained the same look in his eyes, one of authority.

"Ophelia. You cannot go see Renesmee like this. It would make it much more difficult for your legs to heal."

"But I have to see her! I have to, I have to!" Ophelia wailed.

Edward threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine! I'll bring her up here! Good God, if I have to hear that whiny, earsplitting voice again I will shoot myself!"

Ophelia giggled. "And I would mourn for you. But only for a few days!"

Edward turned to his father, an incredulous look on his face. "What on Earth persuaded you to take in this banshee?"

"I don't know," Carlisle answered, as if taking the question seriously.

Ophelia heard it. The awe, fear, and affection in his voice. She looked up to see Carlisle staring down at her, as if trying to concentrate very hard on something.

"I've asked myself that same question many times," he said again.

Ophelia was starting to become restless with the sudden serious mood. She cleared her throat and asked timidly, "So, I'm a banshee then? Or can I be something cool, like…a vampire or something?"

She saw the frightened look pass between father and son. Something she'd said had hit them hard, but what?

Edward wiped his face clear of any previous emotion and replied stoically, "Nope. You'll always be a raging, annoying banshee to me."

"If you'd prefer the screaming and wailing over the blood-sucking, then sure. Your choice."

Edward grimaced. "Can we please talk about something else? This morbid subject has gotten me rather depressed."

"Sure. So when can I expect Renesmee?" Ophelia asked cheerfully.

"Tonight, after dinner. I'll bring her up. Plus, I think Bella would like to introduce herself."

Ophelia nodded. "Fine. Will you come too, Dr. Cullen?"

Carlisle smiled down at the girl. "Not tonight, I'm afraid. I'm going…out with a few friends for a hike."

"At night?" Ophelia's face twisted as if she'd eaten something horrible. "Won't you get cold? Will you be able to see? Dear God, please don't tell me bears are in season!"

"I have no problem with wandering the woods at night," Carlisle replied cheerfully. And he was right, in a sense. As long as he didn't break the borders set by the Quileutes, there was no possible danger. Or danger he couldn't handle, at least.

"Aren't there…wolves?"

Carlisle's mind swerved to an image of Jacob, snarling over his granddaughter in a protective stance. Something must have flickered across his face. Ophelia's eyes had widened. "There are wolves? Aren't you afraid?"

"No, my dear. I know how to handle myself when a wolf comes by."

Ophelia had become real quiet. She stared motionless at the wall, and recalled a childhood memory regarding wolves in the forest. She shuddered at the memory. Now, nightmares about one particular wolf frequently flitted around as she slept. Midnight black fur, with a white blob-looking thing on his forehead. Then, she thought of a brown wolf she saw running around the Cullens' property quite a few times, with another russet-brown wolf and a female. He was the smallest, but seemed to be the most energetic of the three, always yapping about with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. She smiled at _this _memory; she rather liked the small brown wolf.

"Never mind. Have fun then," Ophelia said, meaning to sound enthusiastic, but ending up sounding half-hearted.

Carlisle suddenly had the impulsive urge to touch the girl. He lightly ruffled her hair, feeling an energetic spark flow through his limbs. The look on Ophelia's face told him she'd felt it too.

"Silly girl, I'll be fine. There's no need to worry about me," he chuckled.

Downstairs, a musical voice called out, "Edward? Edward, where are you?"

"Oops, that will be Bella. We were supposed to take Nessie to the park today," Edward explained as he left the room.

Once again, the silence between doctor and patient was uncomfortable for both. Carlisle wanted to touch her again, and Ophelia wanted nothing more than for that to happen. As she looked at his pale white hands, long and slender, she drifted off into fantasies. Fantasies that included herself, and Carlisle. She imagined him smiling at her, completely dazzling her with his perfect teeth. Then, he'd sweep her up into his arms and hold her forever, with no one that could break such an ultimately lovely moment. As they would stand there, standing so close they looked like one soul, he would whisper, "I love you, Ophelia Westcott. I will never let you go."

Ophelia shook her head violently. She couldn't think that! Not about a man who was about ten years older than her and _married_! Not to mention he was her doctor, and she had confided in him her trust, something that she hadn't given to many people. He'd seen her through all her ups and downs in mood swings, laughed with her at silly, trivial little things, and helped her cope with the pain of her injuries. She'd trusted him explicitly, more than she'd ever trusted any one person in her entire life. Now Ophelia wondered if she'd placed it justly. She had to ask herself the burning question that was consuming her thoughts.

Was she in love with Dr. Carlisle Cullen?


	8. Seth's Predicament

Was he in love with Ophelia?

Of course he was. The first moment he'd seen her, he knew that he wanted to be with her forever. But, she didn't know the effects of being an imprint. She didn't know that Seth would be by her side, every day, for the rest of her life, regardless of whether she knew it or not. Seth was already aware that he was in love with Ophelia. But was he _in _love with her, so deeply, that no time or place could keep them apart? That, he wasn't sure of.

Jake wasn't doing his part to help Seth cope with all of the new emotions that came with imprinting. The best he did was scoff at all of Seth's pacing around his room.

"C'mon, man, why are you stressing about this?" Jacob asked again, for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe it's because all of a sudden I'm madly in love with a girl who is three years older than me and barely acknowledges my existence! Not to mention the fact that I can't ever fall _out _of love with her, even if I wanted to!" Seth said sarcastically.

Jake laughed with a knowing intonation. "But, you don't want to, do you?"

Seth paused for a moment. "No, I guess not."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know, man. Maybe I should just leave so I don't have to deal with it. She'll never know anything about it, not the werewolves, the imprinting, nothing," Seth said.

Suddenly, anger flared inside Jake, causing him to shoot up out of his chair and grip the headboard of Seth's bed with deathly force. "No," he seethed. "You can't just leave her, not like that, without her knowing anything."

Seth looked at Jake as if seeing a completely different person in front of him. Comprehension clouded his eyes, and he began to chuckle.

"Nuh-uh, Jake. I won't be like Edward, you know that!"

"Do I? Isn't it basically the same thing? What if she does love you, man? Are you gonna leave her heartbroken without any explanation?"

"Jake, c'mon, she doesn't love me! She doesn't even know how long I've had a crush on her! She doesn't know that every time I put up with her insanely annoying little sisters, that it was because I wanted to see her, and hear her voice apologizing for their behavior! She has no clue whatsoever that I phase outside of her house every night just to watch her sleep, to make sure that she's safe!" Seth thought how fortunate it was that the route Sam had given him happened to run near Ophelia's house…

Jake watched Seth rant, an amused smile on his face. Seth was never one to let out his emotions; he was quite repressive for a werewolf. Basically, he was the complete opposite of Paul, who made it clear when he was in a bad mood. But now, Jake could understand all the confusion and emotional stress the youngest member of the pack was going through. First of all, because he'd been there; imprinting on the daughter of the one you loved wasn't exactly a picnic. Secondly, because it was _Seth_. He was frozen at fifteen years old, and was suddenly thrust into the chaotic world of imprinting. Waking up one day and bumping into the love of your life, no, your existence, didn't ensure any simultaneous mental stability. Seth was messed up now, and Jake could see that he was scared and didn't know how to handle it.

Seth had finished releasing all the repressed emotions, and sank wearily into a chair. Jake, feeling compassion for the young boy before him, stood up and went to his side, patting his shoulder in comfort.

"Hey, it'll all work out. You'll see," he told him.

"I just can't think about this right now," Seth said as he shook off Jacob's hand. "I need to go run."

"Where are you going to go?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure I'll find out," he said mysteriously. Jake knew that Seth already had a pretty good idea of where he would end up, and it wouldn't be all the way out in Canada. Jake shuddered at the journey he'd taken there out of depression at Bella's then-upcoming transformation from human to monster. Thank God she had been given the gift of control.

"All right, man. Don't stay out too late, though. Emily's ordering pizza tonight, and there will be lots!" Jake reminded him.

Seth nodded, still feeling disturbed, and darted out of the open window. Jake watched him go, praying that he would find a way, in his puny-teenaged brain, to sort this out.

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**Sorry for the short chapter, but I hope you didn't forget about Seth's dilemma! I just wanted to make sure he got some time in the story, with all of his emotional issues and all that good stuff! Thanks to all who reviewed, or subscribed, or whatever it is you do, but keep doing it! I love it, and thanks so much!**


	9. Moonlight Sonata

**Hey, sorry for the long wait, but there's been a lot of stuff going on with my family, not to mention I've had writer's block for about two months :(. But thanks for waiting so patiently, and here's Chapter 9! Don't forget, I love the reviews, and thanks so much for taking the time to read this!**

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**Ophelia couldn't pinpoint the exact reason why, but for some reason her thoughts had strayed away to the image of a certain fifteen year-old boy named Seth. She knew him pretty well; her sisters had made a daily ritual of chasing him around Forks, following his every movement with their incessant giggling and gossip. It would've driven any person to insanity, but not Seth. He good-naturedly endured it, always smiling when talking to them, and laughing off Ophelia's apologies for their rudeness. That was one of the things Ophelia had always admired in Seth: his compassion and personality that always drew people to him. She couldn't help but laugh at how being so likeable could attract anybody, including those least desirable…

The past few days had gone smoothly. The swelling in her legs had gradually decreased, and she could fully smile without grimacing in pain. Carlisle had been an absolute angel to her and took care of her every need. Ophelia couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt every time she complained about something, and how Carlisle would just rush out of the room and bring her the one thing he thought would make her feel better. His mind was so attuned to hers now that it was almost as if he could read it, even though Edward was the expert in that department. Ophelia, Carlisle frequently thanked the gods for this, couldn't make out certain expressions that had a habit of creeping into her savior's pale features.

Earlier that night, before Carlisle had injected more medication into her systems, he had come to tell her good news. He'd thought that at the rate of recovery Ophelia was going through, she would be able to walk on her casts within the next day or so; maybe even without the casts in a week. Ophelia was so thrilled that she began to jump in her bed, startling the assortment of tubes connecting to her arms and causing a brief sear of pain.

"Oops, a little too excited there," she'd laughed.

"You should be excited! I am amazed by how quickly you've healed," Dr. Cullen joined in the celebration.

An idea had flashed into Ophelia's head, causing for a wide smile to break out on her lips. "You know what I really want to do?"

"What is that?"

"I want to do something special for Nessie, to make up for my lack of seeing her the past few days. But, it'll require full, and I mean _full_, cooperation from you!"

Carlisle had been wary, but something inside him had assured that it was only a simple request, nothing that would eternally harm her. "Fine. You have my full cooperation."

"Excellent!" she had smiled. "Now, listen closely…"

In all fairness, it wouldn't put Ophelia in sever danger, but it could stunt the recovery of her legs, and he'd told her so. She seemed to ignore it, and continued to plan out her surprise in her head; Carlisle gave up trying to get her to go on about her plan, but saw he'd lost her. He'd sighed, and carefully injected Ophelia's sleep medicine, leaving her to dream about her secret surprise.

Oddly enough, the drowsiness had yet to swift Ophelia off her feet, so she lay in her bed, thinking. Somehow her thoughts directed to Seth, and no matter how many times she tried to divert them, it wouldn't do a thing. It was like her mind was trying to convey something to her, something obvious, that she just wasn't getting.

_Then again, he always did have such a nice smile, and a warm laugh, and soft brown eyes, and a great body nonetheless…_ she thought. Only after she repeated the thought several times in her head did she realize that she was fantasizing about a fifteen year-old boy, and she was three years older than him! Not to mention, she was downright ugly and he was…well…beautiful. As she thought how "beautiful" described Seth, Ophelia could sketch out a caricature of himself in her head. The tall, muscular figure that wasn't overly bulky, but form-fitting, the sculpted muscles in his arms and legs, the chin-length black hair that always seemed swept to the side just so, the chocolate brown eyes with laugh lines underneath, the shapely lips that formed a gorgeous smile full of sweetness and confidence; and that was only his appearance. Ophelia thought of how many hours she could think about Seth's good heart and personality alone, and decided that it would take a long time.

Ophelia liked thinking about Seth. It diverted her thoughts to an area where none of the Cullens knew about, and couldn't inquire about. It was her world, and hers alone, except for when Seth was with her. For the time being, she forgot about age difference and appearance, and slowly fell asleep with the picturesque face of Seth grinning under her eyelids.

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A knock at the front door disrupted Edward's composition, the last note played hanging in the air, unwilling to disappear. He growled; just when he'd found inspiration, the first in months, he had to be stopped by some trivial person knocking in the wee hours of the night. Edward would never admit it, but he was also secretly glad that a distraction had presented itself. His inspiration, being Bella of course, had caused for a deeper need, a deeper feeling within him to stir, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to control himself. And Renesmee had begun to ask questions about why Mommy and Daddy shut and locked the door at night…

"Seth? What are you doing here?"

Seth didn't wait for an invitation to come inside, and quickly went to the base of the stairs. "Is Ophelia here? I need to talk to her."

"Yes, but she might be sleeping. I'm not entirely sure."

"Okay, can I just go up then? It's really important!"

Edward shrugged, wanting to get back to his music as soon as possible. "Suit yourself."

Seth tore up the stairs on his tiptoes, careful not to disturb any of the other Cullens. On his way up to the third floor, where Ophelia's room was, he could hear the slight _bang _of something against the wall. He paused, wondering if he should investigate. When he heard the "Oh, Emmett!" he knew it was nothing to be worried about.

Edward had been right; Ophelia was sleeping soundly in her bed when he opened the door. Seth marveled at how the moonlight through the window hit her face, lighting up her bone structure and making her skin appear to be milky and gleaming. Her innocence leaped off her face. Seth smiled and stepped inside quietly.

He slowly moved a chair in the corner next to where Ophelia slept, wincing at the sickly sweet smell it gave off. So Carlisle had been sitting here… He shrugged it off and sat down to watch her sleep.

Ophelia didn't make any movement during the night, only shifting her body once to face the ceiling. Seth thought how mythical Ophelia looked now, like a creation of Zeus himself. Her hands were folded over her abdomen. Seth eyed them, and was surprised at how hard he had to fight himself to keep from holding one of her hands.

_C'mon man! Control yourself! She'll wake up if you touch her, and God knows how long it would be before the Cullens tore yourself to pieces for sneaking beside their new best friend!_

Seth finally sat on his hands, so hard that the chair grunted. Ophelia's eyes shot open as her face turned quickly to look at Seth. He could only sit there, and hold his breath while waiting for her to scream.

Strangely, she began to giggle; her lips formed a wide smile as she began to laugh harder.

"Seth? Is that you?" she choked out.

"Sshh, Ophelia, you need to calm down," he whispered frantically. "The Cullens might throw me out if they find me in here with you!"

That seemed to shut her up, for the most part.

"Why are you in here, Seth? How did you get in here?" she asked, seriousness etched into her face.

"Edward let me up. He warned me that you might be asleep, but I came up to be sure."

Ophelia grinned deviously. "I know you avoided my first question. Nice try."

"Eh, thought it was worth a shot," Seth said.

"But seriously Seth, why are you here?"

Seth ran a hand through his hair, and Ophelia almost gasped out loud. The moonlight created silver streaks in his hair, making him shine with an ethereal glow. She couldn't stop from staring wide-eyed at him.

"What? What're you staring at me like that for?"

She shook her head quickly. "Nothing, never mind."

Neither one of them said anything for a few minutes; both were curiously appraising the other with cautious eyes. Finally Seth asked, "So, what was so funny earlier?"

Ophelia blushed in the darkness, thankful it was nighttime. "Nothing."

"Oh come on, you can't _not_ tell me! That would be very mean, and un-friend-like!"

"Wait, we're friends?" Ophelia's heart was pounding, hoping he really meant it. She had always considered him one of her friends, but was now hopelessly wishing he noticed her enough to be a friend of his. Ophelia's mind was working against her, trying to figure out her sudden interest in Seth.

Seth laughed quietly. "Of course! How could we not be after the past year?"

"True. We saw a lot of each other. But, that was mostly because of Beatrice and Bianca, not because we necessarily wanted to see each other."

"I wanted to see you," Seth mumbled, trying to make it so she wouldn't hear. But Ophelia's ears had become sharp the past few weeks, and her heart was sent into a frenzy. _Right back at you_, she thought.

Ophelia suddenly noticed how late it was getting. If she stayed up late any longer, then she would be too tired to surprise Renesmee!

"Umm, Seth? Not that I don't love spending the dark hours of night talking with you, but I think I need to get back to bed. I have something very important going on tomorrow, and I won't be able to make it if I'm sleep deprived!"

"Say no more," Seth said as he stood up from the chair and went to the door. "I'll drop by some other time, maybe even during the day!"

_Can't wait_, she thought with a smile. "Okay. Good night Seth."

"Night, Lia."

Once he'd shut the door, Ophelia's mind was in a whirl. Not only because of her newly-discovered feelings for Seth, but because of how she'd noticed his body language during their meeting. He had seemed to gravitate towards her, or she gravitated towards him, but either way, they'd been close. Closer than being "friends" would allow. And, not to mention that he'd admitted that he'd wanted to see her every time Bea and Bianca would shadow him into her home, even if he hadn't meant for her to know. Her heart stuttered in her chest.

And, he'd called her Lia. Something only her brother called her. It was how she felt connected to Mac, how they had that special bond that most brothers and sisters didn't share. But now, she wasn't so opposed to having Seth call her Lia. She had enough of "Lia" to go for both Mac and Seth.

She decided that tomorrow was too important to go on thinking about Seth, so she laid back and let the sleep take over again.

* * *

Seth was overfilled with joy. He'd never imagined that talking to Ophelia, for real, for the first time, would go so well. He almost jumped and clicked his heels on his way out the front door.

Edward caught his friend in his happy spirits and said as he left, "That must have been some joke you told her!" But Seth was too happy to even hear it.


End file.
